Maricopa County Board of Adjustment approves shortened extension for Ramirez temporary RV use permit

The Maricopa County Board of Adjustment voted 5–0 to approve a time-limited extension of temporary use permit TU250046 for property owner Jeanette Ramirez, allowing RV occupancy while a manufactured home on the property is completed and inspected. The board replaced the staff-recommended expiration date of May 12, 2026, with a March 31, 2026, cutoff and attached conditions from the staff report.

Why it matters: Staff had recommended denial, citing a 2½-year history of code violations for multiple occupied RVs, a November site inspection that showed two occupied RVs and a permanent sewer hookup from one RV, and flood-control stipulations that limit RV occupancy in the floodplain to 180 days unless the unit is mobile and highway ready. Those concerns framed the board’s decision to shorten the extension and require mobility and compliance steps.

Nick, a planner from Maricopa County Planning and Development, told the board the manufactured home had been placed on the property Oct. 8 but did not yet have a county certificate of occupancy and that code compliance had previously observed occupied RVs and unpermitted structures. "For these reasons, staff recommends the board motion to deny TU250046," he said, while also listing conditions (paragraph 15 a–f) if the board chose approval.

The applicant, Jeanette Ramirez, told the board she had renewed permits (building, floodplain and septic), that the manufactured home was on site, and that she was working with contractors and inspectors to complete installation. "I'm not asking for anything long term, just enough time to finish what’s already well underway," Ramirez said. She said scheduling delays with state inspections and contractor workloads made a definitive completion date uncertain but estimated March as a realistic target.

Board members pressed Ramirez on whether she would vacate occupancy of the RVs once the manufactured home is ready and on the RVs’ highway readiness. Member Clapp highlighted staff findings that tires were flat and that the unit needed to be mobile to satisfy floodplain storage rules. Darren, a county staff member, clarified that the property appears to be in the floodplain and that a unit stored there must be mobile and not sit in place for more than 180 days to comply with floodplain-use permit regulations.

Several board members said they saw measurable progress on the home but were concerned about repeated noncompliance and the public-safety implications of immobile RVs in a floodplain. Vice Chair Rosalie and others said a shorter, date-specific extension would balance the applicant’s progress with enforcement of floodplain rules and staff concerns.

Member Ward moved to approve TU250046 "subject to the stipulations referred to changing the date due to March 31." Vice Chair Rosalie seconded. The board then voted by roll call: Member Ba — yes; Member Clapp — yes; Member Ward — yes; Vice Chair Rosalie — yes; Chairman Loper — yes. The chair announced the motion carried 5–0.

What the approval requires: The board’s approval incorporates staff conditions from the staff report (paragraph 15 a–f) and uses March 31, 2026, as the expiration date for the TUP (condition 15(c) revised from 05/12/2026). Staff emphasized the applicant must address RV mobility and tire issues to meet floodplain requirements; code enforcement and the flood control district may follow up independently.

The Board of Adjustment closed the public hearing after noting there were no other speakers and adjourned the meeting. The applicant was wished luck by the chair; the board reminded participants that floodplain and code compliance issues remain enforceable by county staff and the flood control district.